The one downside of political documentaries these days is that they all tend to follow the Michael Moore method of film-making: focus the story on yourself and then jaunt into whatever political persuasion you follow. After Moore struck it bigger than his waistline with Fahrenheit 9/11 in 2004 every political documentary, it seems, has tried to ape that style. And now comes 2016: Obama’s America, attempting to do for Dinesh D’Souza and his center-right politics.
2016 is a two part film. The first is D’Souza exploring President Obama’s background in comparison to his. D’Souza is an Indian immigrant who made his way to Dartmouth, moved to Washington, D.C during the Reagan revolution (eventually working in the White House under President Reagan) and has found a path as a conservative political pundit while serving as President of The King’s College in New York City. D’Souza explores the President’s life and his relationship with his father as he explores the background of the President, contrasting it with his own unique journey to becoming an American, for the film’s first hour. Trying to find out the history of the President, D’Souza crosses the globe and interviews a wide variety of people who were influential in the President’s formative years.
And this is when the film is operating really well. Regardless of whether you agree with him or not, and many people watching the film won’t, this journey of exploration is designed really well because we don’t get too many talking points. It’s an honest exploration by D’Souza about a man he doesn’t know much about, contrasted against his own unique journey, as he explores how he and the President went separate ways politically despite sharing many different things in common such as having spent significant time living overseas, being admitted to an Ivy League school, etc. D’Souza is oddly affecting in that when he’s exploring and relating it to his own journey he’s enthralling.
Unfortunately the film goes from being this enthralling journey into a right side of the political spectrum screed once D’Souza’s globe-trotting has ended. While he’s building to this big moment after his journey it falls flat because it’s not all that interesting. If you listen to 30 minutes of political talk radio you’ve heard every point he makes discussed, refuted, endorsed and repeated ad nausea. He adds nothing new to anything he’s written or said before; D’Souza makes it clear from the start he’s far from the President’s biggest fan and nothing he adds detracts from that notion.
As a film 2016: Obama’s America is preaching to the right wing choir in the same way Fahrenheit 9/11 preached to the progressive side of the aisle. It’s not a discussion, though the film is certainly open to debate when all is said and done, it’s a call for action to those watching it as D’Souza presumes his audience will share his values. While it does give you an insight into D’Souza and his life, counterbalanced by his interpretation and look at President Barack Obama , it’s not designed as a debate. It’s a lecture, nothing more, and probably works better for those who are like-minded.
Director: Dinesh D’Souza & John Sullivan
